Other resolutions call for labour courses to be taught in high school and post-secondary institutions and for an apology to leaders of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.
Winnipeg (3 March 2009) - Anti-scab legislation, and teaching labour in the schools, will be on the agenda when the Manitoba New Democratic Party meets this weekend for its provincial convention.
Among a total of 250 resolutions put forward for the March 6-8 gathering is a proposal calling on the provincial NDP government to prohibit the use of scab workers — strikebreakers — during legal strikes.
The resolution notes that the number and duration of strikes has been reduced in the only two provinces where such legislation exists - Quebec and B.C.
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Meanwhile, a number of other resolutions call on the province to provide high school and post-secondary labour courses on the role that unions play in society. Such courses are needed to counter anti-union bias in the mainstream media, the resolutions argue.
The Brandon West constituency is proposing that labour history be made mandatory for Grade 9 students while the Interlake constituency is calling on the government to offer courses focusing on labour standards, trade unions, collective bargaining and labour rights. Workplace health and safety should be taught in schools, delegates will be told.
In additon, several Winnipeg area ridings are urging the province in another resolution to apologize to — and to exonerate — leaders of the historic 1919 Winnipeg General Strike in which a number of labour's leading voices were arrested, prosecuted and jailed for their role in what proved to be a pivotal chapter in the Canada's labour history.
One of the leaders jailed was J. S. Woodsworth, founder of the Commonwealth Cooperative Federation (CCF), the forerunner of today's New Democratic Party.
"Government's heavy-handed actions were intended to crush the strike and provide convenient scapegoats which led to several strike leaders serving prison time or being deported," the resolution states.
Yet another resolution simply asks delegates to remember the strike's leaders on the 90th anniversary of the event this May.
It is not clear how many of the resolutions will make it through the screening process for debate on the convention floor. Resolutions are not binding on the government but they are considered serious recommendations for it to consider.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
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